Gurugram, Nov 18 (IANS): Doctors here have successfully implanted a revolutionary device on an Iraqi man to treat his heart failure.

Doctors at Max Hospital, Gurugram, implanted a cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) device on the man, aged 44 with overt heart failure.

He had initially sought a heart transplant.

Dr. (Col.) Manjinder Singh Sandhu, Principal Director-Cardiology at Max Hospital, realised that the patient was in overt heart failure and after optimising his medication, he deduced that the patient was not a candidate for heart transplant but rather for the new revolutionary therapy CCM.

The CCM device marks a significant leap forward in the treatment options available for patients with compromised heart pumping capacity or damaged muscles.

While implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) have been effective in preventing sudden cardiac death, they fall short in addressing death due to progressive pump failure. Further, the introduction of cardiac resynchronisation therapy with defibrillator (CRTD) was a crucial step for patients with a left bundle branch block on ECG, but this only addressed a subset of individuals, Sandhu said.

For the remaining 85 per cent of heart patients with low pumping ability who do not exhibit a left bundle branch on ECG, CCM is the way forward, he noted.

The CCM therapy delivers high voltage, non-excitatory current during the absolute refractory period (when the heart is resting for a few milliseconds) of the cardiac cycle.

This stimulation up-regulates the gene for the cardiac muscles making them perform better.

"CCM has emerged as a revolutionary therapy, offering a lifeline to a previously underserved demographic of heart patients. Traditionally, patients with such conditions had limited alternatives, with CRTD being a common solution applicable to only a minority of cases, ranging from 10 to 15 cent of those with low heart function," Sandhu said.

"Recognising the critical need for a more inclusive solution, CCM has become a beacon of hope for the majority of patients who were ineligible for CRTD. This cutting-edge therapy aims to improve heart function and quality of life for those facing limited options," he said.